AG/RES. 2536 (XL-O/10) Support for the Work of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism

June 8, 2010

(Adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 8, 2010)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN the observations and recommendations of the Permanent Council on the annual reports of the organs, agencies, and entities of the Organization of American States (OAS) (AG/doc.5111/10 add. 1), particularly the Annual Report of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism to the General Assembly (CP/doc.4585/10);

That, as stated in the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism, terrorism, whatever its form or manifestation and whatever its origin or motivation, has no justification whatsoever, is inimical to the full enjoyment and exercise of human rights, and poses a grave threat to international peace and security, institutions, and the democratic values enshrined in the OAS Charter, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and other regional and international instruments; and

That the threat of terrorism is more acute where linkages exist between terrorism and illicit drug trafficking, illicit arms trafficking, money laundering, and other forms of transnational organized crime, and that such illicit activities may be utilized to support and finance terrorist activities;

REITERATING FURTHER the importance for the member states of the OAS to sign, ratify, or accede to, as the case may be, and implement in an effective way the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism as well as pertinent regional and international conventions and protocols, including the 13 related universal legal instruments, resolutions 1267 (1999), 1373 (2001), 1540 (2004) and 1624 (2005) and other pertinent resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by the UN General Assembly to fight terrorism, including to find, deny safe haven to, and bring to justice, on the basis of the principle of extraditing or prosecuting any person who supports, facilitates, participates, or attempts to participate in the financing, planning, preparation, or commission of terrorist acts or provides safe haven;

TAKING NOTE WITH SATISFACTION of the holding of the Tenth Regular Session of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) in Washington, D.C., from March 17 to 19, 2010, and the adoption of the declaration on public-private partnerships in the fight against terrorism;

RECALLING the need to confront terrorism through sustained cooperation, with full respect for the obligations imposed by international law, including international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international refugee law;

REAFFIRMING that the fight against terrorism demands the broadest possible cooperation among the member states and coordination among international and regional organizations, in order to prevent, punish, and eliminate terrorism in all its forms;

RECOGNIZING the importance of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, of September 8, 2006 (document A/RES/60/288), and the importance of its implementation in the fight against terrorism; and

NOTING WITH SATISFACTION:

That to date 24 member states have ratified or acceded to the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism; and

The holding of the Eighth Meeting of CICTE’s National Points of Contact, on March 17, 2010, in Washington, D.C., and of the initiatives on “Counter Terrorism Capacity-Building Needs” and “CICTE Multimedia,” developed by the Chair,

RESOLVES:

1. To reiterate its most vigorous condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations as criminal and unjustifiable under any circumstances, in any place, and regardless of who perpetrates it, and because it poses a grave threat to international peace and security, to the rule of law, and to the democracy, stability, and prosperity of the countries of the region.

2. To endorse the Declaration on Public-Private Partnerships in the Fight against Terrorism, adopted by the member states of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) at its Tenth regular session, and to encourage the member states to fulfill the commitments contained therein.

3. To urge member states that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, or accede to, as the case may be, and to implement in an effective way, the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism, as well as the 13 related universal conventions and protocols and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

4. To reiterate the importance of adopting measures to strengthen international cooperation mechanisms, especially at the hemispheric level, including the application of extradition and mutual legal assistance as well as the exchange of information, including financial information, in accordance with domestic law, in order to find, deny safe haven to, and bring to justice any person who supports, facilitates, participates, or attempts to participate in the financing, planning, preparation, or commission of terrorist acts or provides safe havens.

5. To express its abiding commitment to fight terrorism and the financing thereof with full respect for the rule of law and international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international refugee law, the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism, and United Nations Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), and to improve the implementation of the Nine Special Recommendations on Terrorist Financing of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF).

6. To express its satisfaction with the progress made by member states in the adoption of effective measures to prevent, combat, and eradicate terrorism; and to underscore the need to continue identifying cooperation mechanisms in the fight against terrorism at the bilateral, subregional, regional, and international levels and strengthening their application.

7. To reiterate its satisfaction with the forum for dialogue, coordination, and cooperation that CICTE affords, and with its efforts to identify measures to strengthen hemispheric cooperation to prevent, combat, and eliminate terrorism, including the technical assistance provided to states that so request, with the aim of fulfilling the obligations assumed in the different binding international instruments, in accordance with the CICTE Work Plan.

8. To express appreciation once again to the member states and permanent observers that have contributed human and other resources to the CICTE Secretariat for implementation of CICTE’s Work Plan.

9. To instruct the CICTE Secretariat to implement the programs and projects adopted in its Work Plan for 2010.

10. To invite the member states, permanent observers, and pertinent international agencies to consider providing, maintaining, or increasing, as appropriate, their voluntary financial and/or human resource contributions to CICTE, to facilitate the performance of its functions and promote enhancement of its programs and the scope of its work.

11. To instruct the General Secretariat to continue providing the CICTE Secretariat, within the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources, with administrative and any other support needed, including support for the Eleventh Regular Session of CICTE, scheduled to be held at the headquarters of the Organization of American States, in Washington, D.C., from March 16 to 18, 2011, including the three preparatory meetings for that regular session, and for the Ninth Meeting of CICTE’s National Points of Contact, which will take place in conjunction with that regular session.

12. To request the Chair of CICTE to report to the General Assembly at its forty-first regular session on the implementation of this resolution, the execution of which shall be subject to the availability of financial resources in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources.

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